The SAT contains one 65-minute reading section that will always be the first section of the

exam. It consists of four long single passages and one set of shorter paired passages,
accompanied by a total of 52 questions (9-11 questions per passage or paired passage set)
covering a wide range of topics.

The breakdown of passages is typically as follows:

• Fiction (1 passage, always first)

• Social science (1 passage)

• Natural science (2 passages)

• Historical Documents (Normally 1 set of paired passages)

Each passage or set of paired passages ranges in length from 500-750 words. Science and social
science passages may also include related 1-2 graphs or charts. In some instances, the graphic(s)
will clearly support an idea or phenomenon discussed in the passage; in other cases, the
relationship will be less clear-cut.

The majority of the Reading questions are text-based; however, each test typically contains
around five graphic-based questions. Some of these questions are based on the graphic alone,
while others ask you to integrate information from the passage and the graphic.

The SAT reading test is a literal comprehension test, but it is also an argument comprehension
test. It does not simply test the ability to find bits of factual information in a passage, but rather
the capacity to understand how arguments are constructed and the ways in which specific textual
elements (e.g. words, phrases, punctuation marks) work together to convey ideas. The focus is on
moving beyond what a text says to understanding how the text says it.

In other words, comprehension is necessary but not sufficient.

The skill that the SAT requires is therefore something called “rhetorical reading.” Rhetoric is the
art of persuasion, and reading rhetorically simply means reading to understand an author’s
argument as well as the rhetorical role or function that various pieces of information play in
creating that argument.

Reading this way is an acquirable skill, not an innate aptitude. It just takes practice.

While the primary focus of the redesigned SAT is on having students use so-called “evidence” to
justify their responses – that is, requiring them to identify which section of a passage provides
the information necessary to answer a given question – the exam does still test a number of other
skills. The most important of these skills include drawing relationships between specific
wordings and general/abstract ideas; distinguishing between main ideas and supporting evidence;
understanding how specific textual elements such as diction (word choice), syntax, and style
convey meaning and tone; keeping track of multiple viewpoints and understanding/inferring
relationships between arguments and perspectives; and recognizing that it is possible for an
author to agree with some aspects of an idea while rejecting others.

That might sound like an awful lot to manage, but don’t worry; we’re going to break it down.

These skills are tested in various ways across a variety of different question types.

• Vocabulary-in-context questions test your ability to use context clues to identify alternate
meanings of common words.

• Big picture questions test your understanding of the passage as a whole. They may ask you
summarize, identify main points, or determine the purpose of a passage.

• Literal comprehension asks you to identify what the passage directly states.

• Inference questions ask you to identify what the passage suggests or indirectly states.

• Both literal comprehension and inference questions will frequently be followed by supporting
evidence questions, which require you to identify the specific lines in the passage that provide
the answer to the previous question.

• Extended reasoning questions ask you to apply ideas discussed in the passage to new
situations.

• Function or purpose questions ask you to identify the rhetorical role (e.g. support, refute,
criticize) that various pieces of information play within a passage.

• Rhetorical strategy and passage organization questions test your understanding of passage
structure and point of view.

• Tone and attitude questions test your understanding of how specific words or phrases help
establish an author’s perspective.

• Paired passage questions test your ability to compare texts with different, often conflicting,
points of view, and to infer how each author would likely react to the other’s point of view.

• Informational graphic (info graphic) questions test your ability to interpret information
presented in graph or table form, and to determine whether and how it supports various pieces of
information in a passage.